The best travel apps for a smart, stress-free holiday

Best iPhone 5s alternatives for October 2013

The iPhone's once-unassailable position at the tip top of the smartphone tree has more challengers now than ever, with a range of Android handsets now promising more power, better cameras, superior screens and more varied features than even Apple's latest baby can manage.

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Sony Xperia XZ Premium review: Clever slow motion video isn't enough

Thinner, lighter and more powerful than its S3 predecessor, with a better screen and more features, what's not to like about the S4? Well, the £600 price tag for a start...

It may not be cheap, but you can see what you're paying for. The 4.7-inch super Amoled screen offers a pin-sharp HD resolution of 1,080x1,920 pixels and the quad-core 1.9Ghz processor races through menus and apps if not quite at the speed of thought, then at least somewhere close. Samsung's TouchWiz interface offers additional menus and picture-in-picture views to help you work and play more efficiently too.

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Samsung

The gesture and eye-tracking features may be more of a gimmick than strictly useful at the moment, but they're fun to play with and the 13 megapixel camera is a peach. If you're prepared to splash the cash, there's so much on this phone that you'll still be exploring its corners by the time the S5 comes out.

HTC has a string of One handsets (including the One mini, which is another worthy alternative to the iPhone), but the simple One is the one to go for, if you see what we mean.

The metallic casing gives it the feel of a high quality product -- more so than the more expensive, but plasticky S4 for instance.

The 4.7-inch LCD touchscreen offers the same HD resolution of 1,080x1,920 as the S4 (and which works out at the same 326ppi as the 5s's smaller screen) but it's not quite so vibrant and the colours seem a bit more natural. The quad-core 1.7GHz processor is fast too, and doesn't appear too constrained by HTC's busy Sense interface.

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Sony Xperia Z5 Compact review: angular momentum

8/10

ByJames Temperton

HTC

HTC is gradually losing its reputation for below-par cameras but it's still not out in front. This one features a large aperture, four "Ultra Pixels", but it's capable of taking much better snaps than its four megapixels would suggest.

The Z1 is just about as good as it gets in Sony's Xperia universe, with a super-powerful quad-core processor, improved HD screen, 20-megapixel camera and waterproof glass body. The waterproof thing is something that other manufacturers have been slow to catch on to, but it makes Sony's handsets sturdier and less prone to accidental damage than most.

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Gallery: Sony Xperia Z3 review

ByDave Oliver

Sony Xperia Z1

Sony

The 5-inch screen offers the same HD 1,920x1,080-pixel resolution as others here but manages the trick of natural-looking colours with super-sharpness. The quad-core 2.2GHz processor does a superb job of everything from browsing to HD gaming and the 20 megapixel camera is capable of producing some superb snaps.

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Sony Xperia Z3 Compact review

9/10

ByDave Oliver

The plastic casing feels a bit flimsy, but then, so does the S4's. The 5.7-inch screen delivers a less than full HD resolution of 1,280x720 pixels but it still looks very fine indeed -- bright, vibrant and clear, no matter how small the print. The Float UI allows you to overlay certain apps over each other, as you can with the Sony or the Samsung, though in this case they tend to look less cramped on the larger screen.

Acer

The quad-core 1.5GHz processor does a sturdy job and doesn't disgrace itself among this company, as does the 8-megapixel camera, which may not be among the very best (take a bow Sony) but can deliver some very good snaps with a bit of care.